Bourbon Spiked Apple Cider

Name: Bourbon Spiked Apple Cider
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 4 cups apple cider; 2 cinnamon sticks; 6 whole cloves; 1 whole star anise; ½ inch piece of fresh ginger; 2 small oranges; 1 cup bourbon; 0 to 4 tablespoons maple syrup; For garnishing: brown sugar

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4.5

264 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
15 mins
Servings
4 servings
Calories
229 kcal
Course
Drinks

Bourbon Spiked Apple Cider

Jasper Jordan

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No matter the weather, this Spiked Apple Cider is a festive way to celebrate fall! Serve it hot in a mug or chilled for a refreshing drink.

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Ingredients

Servings

4 cups apple cider
2 cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves
1 whole star anise
½ inch piece of fresh ginger cut into slices
2 small oranges
1 cup bourbon 8 ounces
0 to 4 tablespoons maple syrup see notes
For garnishing: brown sugar orange slices, apple slices, cinnamon sticks

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Instructions

In a medium saucepan, combine the apple cider, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and ginger over medium heat. Wash the oranges well, then slice in half and squeeze the juice into the saucepan. Drop in one of the squeezed orange halves, and discard the other three.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and pour through a mesh sieve to filter out the spices and orange half.
Combine the apple cider mixture with the bourbon and maple syrup. Serve hot, or chill to serve over ice.

Notes

Depending on the sweetness of your apple cider, you might want to omit the syrup completely. A more tart apple cider might need as much as ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) of syrup to be tasty. Mix in the maple syrup at the end to adjust to your taste.
Because this is a mixed drink, no need to use top shelf bourbon here unless you really want to. Any middle-shelf bourbon will do the trick.
To keep this warm for a crowd, keep it in a slow cooker on low.
To rim glasses: place about ¼ cup of brown sugar in a saucer, run an orange slice around the rim of an empty glass, and place the rim in the sugar and twist to adhere the sugar. Fill.
To garnish: place an orange slice and apple slice on each glass, then place a cinnamon stick in the glass (if long enough) or balance on the top.